Source: Shutterstock
In 1964, Ford released the first Mustang. Even in their wildest dreams, they certainly couldn’t have expected that 50 years later they would still be standing as the king of muscle cars. While other muscle cars might still exist, many of them have had to take a hiatus. We’re now over 50 years into the muscle car duel and we’re in a bit of a muscle car boom. While the cars have evolved slightly, they still stay true to their roots. The Camaro is equally as iconic as the Mustang, it just hasn’t quite reached the same levels of commercial success. It’s time to examine the rivalry in it’s most recent form!
Source: Shutterstock
Versions
Alright, first off, there’s 10 different versions of the mustang available for the 2017 model year. Prices range from an absolutely frisky $25,000+ for the V6 Fastback up to $63,000+ for the Shelby GT350R. The Camaro has a lot of the low and mid-range options that the Mustang has. However they don’t have anything quite like the insanity that is the Shelby GT350R. For this review we’re going to stick with the base models. Why the base models when almost everyone gets a better version? Because we want to examine these muscle cars much how they originated. They were cheap powerful exciting cars. Can the current base models do the same?
Source: Shutterstock
Power
The Mustang comes in with a 3.7 liter Ti-VCT V6. Combined with a 6 speed manual transmission, the Mustang puts its 300 horsepower on the ground quickly and efficiently. While this isn’t the big V8 that was traditional for muscle cars, it’s reasonably close. If you want the V8 you can upgrade your engine. The base Camaro has taken a more modern approach. Rather than going for the big fuel chugging engine, the Camaro has adopted a modern turbocharged 2.0 liter four cylinder engine. In this form it’s still providing great power, but it just doesn’t quite sound like Camaros of the past. The bonus is better fuel efficiency of course. As restrictions on gasoline engines continue, it’s likely that smaller more efficient engines are going to become the norm. The Camaro is showing that it can get out ahead of things and provide the power we want with an engine the environment is okay with. The Camaro is more lightweight and handles like a European sports car instead of the American brute from which it came from.
Source: Shutterstock
Appearance
Alright, they’re both bloody gorgeous. Both cars are beautiful examples of American design and ingenuity. They combine modern styling with retro cues. The modern Mustang is simply gorgeous. The Camaro’s styling makes it look a little lower and sleeker. However that does come back to haunt you when you’re actually driving the car and you have some reduced visibility.
Verdict
Honestly, they’re both incredible cars. In the end it’s going to come down to what you want out of your sports car. They’re not the true pony cars that they once were, but they still pay homage to where they have come from. The more modern and adapted car is the Camaro. However despite all of that, something about the 2017 Mustang just feels right. In the end, we’re giving the edge to the Mustang ever so slightly.
